When Death Broke the Rules
by thegirlwhoknew
Summary: The title says it. What could have happened at the end of the Book Thief.


**I read the Book Thief for school, and then read it two more times in a row, I liked it so much. In my life, I've only ever cried in two books. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and the Book Thief. This, I think, shows the mark of a great book. A book that lets you fall in love with its characters. **

**The end of the Book Thief made me so sad, that I really had to write this.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, just some of the plot and the way I arranged the words. **

**Warning: Don't read this is you are planning on reading the Book Thief and haven't yet. It contains major spoilers from the end of the book. **

**Please review.**

* * *

Yes, I know, it's difficult for me to get my job wrong. It seems so simple. Just pick up the souls. Transport them to heaven. That's it. No complications. Just gathering every human to me when the time is right.

True, I have a lot of power. But I don't abuse it. I do my job. Nothing more. Nothing less.

*****A SIMPLE FACT*****

**I broke the rules one night.**

There's nothing written about what I can or cannot do. But I know, inside me, what's right and wrong. Whoever made us all, humans, beings, ghosts. Well, they made one mistake.

They gave death emotions. That's right, I can feel. And that's why I broke the rules.

It all started with a girl. A girl who stole books. The book thief.

To justify what I did, she'd been through enough. Too much already. I was a witness of this.

Her brother had died next to her.

She was given into foster care.

The book thief fascinated me. I kept a close eye on her over the years.

And when Himmel Street was bombed, it just proved it to me. Proved how heartless you humans are.

*****WHAT THE TRUTH IS*****

**I had to do it. I'm actually glad I did. **

**Because it shows, after all of these years, **

**after all this time, I have a heart.**

As Himmel Street exploded, I appeared. I began my work. I reached out my arms, and gently pulled on all of their souls.

They floated towards me. Every one of them. And as they came, I gathered them up in my arms. There were so many dead.

Frau Diller. And her whole Jewish family in the attic. Frau Diller was almost glad. Glad to escape the stress of hiding them all.

Frau Holtzapfel. She welcomed me into her home.

The Muller's were surprised to see me, but didn't put up a fight.

The Fiedler's. Pfiffikus. The Steiner's.

This almost broke me. I shook as I slowly, gently took their souls.

As I came to Rudy, dear Rudy, I found him lying next to his sister. At my touch, his soul slid out. I carried his and Bettina's souls in the blanket they were wrapped in.

I entered the Hubermann's house numb. This was it. This was when I was going to find Rosa and Hans and Liesel.

I took Hans, Papa, quickly and easily.

Rosa, Mama, was asleep, mouth wide open.

I moved on, to find Liesel. Imagine my shock when I found out that she wasn't dead. She didn't even know that anything had happened.

I watched as Liesel was rescued. Watched her face as she was told that her street was bombed.

She didn't believe them. She couldn't be the only survivor.

As the Book Thief stood up and followed them out, I picked up her book. She didn't notice.

By the time Liesel found Rudy, I had finished her book.

I watched as Liesel sobbed, holding Rudy.

It was true, I thought. Everything she had written was true. He had hair the colour of lemons.

I looked down, and in my arms I saw Rudy's soul.

While his body was cold, his soul was still warm.

The Book Thief kissed the boy with the lemon hair. I could feel my own grief. I had always managed to detach myself. Now, I couldn't.

A tear dropped down my face. Something I didn't even know I was capable of. I guess I'm a little more like humans than I thought.

As Liesel moved on, I knelt on my knees, and before I could help myself, I did it.

The unthinkable. I took his soul, and let my hands guide it to his chest, where I pushed it in.

Rudy began to breathe and his body grew warm again.

*****WHAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE*****

**Just left him dead. **

I, Death, granted life.

And there were going to be consequences.


End file.
